


his sacrifice.

by kiroochuu



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Ignis, Feelings, Heartbreaking, Heavy Angst, Spoilers, semi-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-05 14:54:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13390206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiroochuu/pseuds/kiroochuu
Summary: A semi-canon take of the pivotal moments of Episode Ignis (heavy spoilers). Subtle Ignoct. Contains loads of angst, heartbreak, feelings, and tears. ♡With a shaking breath, he whispered, "No..I won't let you take him away."Just as his world rioted in light and flame and ancient power that scorched him. Cleaving him open, from the center of his ribs, the power of Lucians past tore him. Ripping his muscles, his skin, as the fires burned and burned and burned. The blood in his veins boiling, his heart thundering too fast, his lungs fighting for air as he choked on ash.He could have sworn, through the cries that ravaged his throat, that he could hear King Regis's voice, one last time.We stand with you, my son.





	his sacrifice.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Appreciate_Everything](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Appreciate_Everything/gifts).



> It hasn't been a full month yet, and I still haven't entirely processed the events of Episode Ignis. To cope.. I wrote. Each chapter will be pivotal moments of the DLC, because that's how I semi-process trauma to my soul xD
> 
> This is a gift for my lovely Sparrow. Thank you for beta-reading the beginning stages, and listening to all of my shenanigans when I finally finished the game. You are a wonderful human being ♡
> 
> And to all of you.. thank you so much for reading ♡

"Hurry."

Salt water and brine stung his eyes, coating his lips, burning his nostrils; weighing him down. But nothing stood in his way as they climbed onto the crumbling altar. The Titan — the Archaean — long gone, as the Tidemother finally fell into a divine slumber once more. High above them, Imperial dragnaughts hovered, scanning the churning waters below. Waves crashed all around them, as a shining pillar of golden light marked their sights; the heart of the rite. Where both Ignis and Ravus would find those they were desperately searching for..

..the boy prince and his bride-to-be.

Explosions rioted, encircling them in chaos in the aftermath of Leviathan's rage. The carnage of a once beautiful city at their backs. The sun was a stream of sparkling light dancing along the angry waters, blinding them, as Ignis and Ravus rushed towards the column of gold shining skywards. His body was surprisingly agile, despite the bruises kissed deep into muscles and his heart an untamed thing beating loudly into his skull. The temporary ally at his side just as determined; a spear of silver steel, sharp and focused on one thing. A need to protect, that burned in his blood and roared with every swoop of the great-sword in his hands.

That same oath — same _need_ — was an immortal fire kindled deep into Ignis's chest; drumming as wild as the beats of his heart as they continued forward towards those they were sworn to protect. Each step sounding like the name of his prince, as he remembered the promise he had made so many years ago.

_Always._

"We can't be far now," Ignis assured, his breath heavy, quick. Every nerve, every sliver of his being, burning. He would not rest until he knew Noctis was safe.

As they rounded another corner, a soft whimper carried to his ears. Through the deafening crash of waves along the stone walls of the altar, Ignis stopped, turning over the sounds. He raised his hand, cautious. "Wait."

Frantically, he searched the ruins around him for the source of such a pained noise. Emerald orbs finding nothing, until a lupine creature limped from between two crumbling bricks, collapsing on the stones at their feet.

Ignis loosed a sigh as he crouched, reaching a tender hand towards the creature. The little thing must have once been a brilliant ivory; a mirror of iridescent pearl. But now, seawater and varying patches of dried and fresh blood were mottled in the tangles of her fur. His heart nearly cracked at the sight of her, when a familiar pang tugged deep in his chest. A ribbon, tying one memory to another like a scarlet cord; to a similar lupine that could have been her match.

"Pryna."

Ravus's voice cut through the quiet like lightning, shattering the sheer silence of Ignis's hesitation.

Much like the explosion of light that burst in his head, at the slightest touch of his fingers brushing the outer tufts of her coat. His eyes no longer saw the canine at his feet, but instead a familiar, vast room, glittering in stark light. A faceless man upon King Regis's throne, the Ring of the Lucii shining brightly on his hand.

He doubled over, as a voice pounded against the bone walls of his skull, otherworldly and unlike anything he had ever heard before.

" _A power greater than even that of the Six, purifying all by the Light of the Crystal and the glaives of rulers past._ "

The man on the throne looked up, meeting Ignis's gaze — his face suddenly clear. Those eyes.. he knew those eyes, despite the age that lined him now. The ring flared, gleaming in the darkness surrounding him, as a blade was summoned to his hand.. along with twelve others; phantom images of the weapons of the Kings of Old. The same royal arms they had searched the corners of their world for now.

" _Only at the throne can the Chosen receive it.._ "

Ignis could not help but watch as the images flickered and broke, as ghosts of twelve kings past pierced the man on the throne. With each one, the man doubled over, as the Ring burned brighter still. What power could he receive that could rival their gods? What more could this world lay on the shoulders of one man? What more could be asked of him?

" _..and at the cost of a life: his own._ "

The final, thirteenth king severed him from waking life, as Ignis witnessed a vision that had not yet come to pass. His body falling, weightless, as breath was stolen from his lips. Ignis was helpless; oxygen failed him, as his heart ripped into two, tied together by meager strings. The realization of the voice's words weighed down on him, robbing him of reason.. but the voice continued on.

" _The King of Kings shall be granted the power to banish the darkness, but the blood price must be paid._ "

 _Noctis._ Floating in a void as the Ring scorched him. Ash and fire and stars. Thirteen weapons of white light cleaving him, as their masters joined him at his sides.

" _To cast out the Usurper and usher in dawn's light will cost the life of the Chosen._ "

The King of Kings — Noctis, leading a final charge against an unknown enemy. A man masked in shadow and darkness eternal, before his body too, fell into a glittering dust in a world beyond their own.

 _There_. His breath hitched, as he recognized familiar faces, the vision shimmering into something new. Gladio. Prompto. Noctis.. even himself. All around a campfire once more; age wrought on each face. How long had it been?

He did not feel the fresh tears streaming down his face as the voice continued for one, final blow.

" _Many sacrificed all for the King; so must the King sacrifice himself for all._ "

As the man bearing the Ring, a man he knew, was burned alive; his skin covered in ash, before light stole him away.

Ignis gasped, breathing in gulps of sea air, as his hand snapped back from the lupine. He searched her face, watching as her eyes fluttered closed with one last sigh of breath. His hands shook, careful not to touch her again, in fear of another premonition. "What did I just see?" he asked, staring at the lines in his hands, stars flashing before his eyes. "A vision of what's to come?"

The cord of memory in his chest tugged — violent and without warning. He remembered Umbra, and something seemingly small that Noctis had once told him long ago; the shock rendering him still.

_He is a messenger of the gods._

Did that mean.. no, it couldn't be. That _she_.. Umbra's match could, too, be a messenger of the Six. A divine traveler from the astral plane to their own. That would mean.. that the gods _knew_ his prince's fate.. "the King of Kings," they called him. But what did it all mean? Darkness had not plundered their star; so why must he sacrifice his own life to usher in the light? Why did he have to hold the world on his shoulders and his shoulders alone? Why could he not share his burdens? Why _him_?

As his mind whirled, round and round, Ignis tried to refuse to believe the vision; despite that his brain was hard wired for rationality, for logic, for reason. And for the first time, he found that he hated it; despised it, down to his very core. How could he ever face his friend once more? Knowing what he knew now?

He gulped a shaking breath, before he rose. _Noctis._ He still had to find Noctis.. to ensure he was safe and sound. Later.. he would deal with this new knowledge later. His eyes scanned the shadows as night grew darker still; his gaze landing on the column of light at the altar's center. There.. that must be where Ravus had gone.

Ignis bolted, leaving Pryna, his breaths whispers of Noctis's name. Prayers sent to the stars above, that he would be alright. That everything would be alright.

He vaulted the last ruins of stairs, golden light blinding him as he crested the peak to reach the Altar of the Tidemother at last. Ignis stopped short, abrupt and inhaling sharply.

As Ravus stared at the two bodies at his feet.

 _No._ "Noct!"

They were entwined in a lover's embrace; crumpled onto the ragged stones of the altar. Her gentle hands were laid across Noctis' chest, soft light enveloping them in a warm gold that suddenly vanished as they approached. But all he saw was his prince as reality buckled his knees, crashing down beside them. His hand shook as he reached forward, tentative fingers outstretched to feel for a pulse at his neck.

The sudden wave of relief that washed over him chased away the fear that churned deep in his gut, a faint pulse dancing beneath his fingers. His eyes swooped to take note of hidden injuries, the blood spattering Noctis' arms a stark contrast to the palor of his skin. When all at once, as his gaze flickered sidelong, he realized — with crystalline clarity — that the Oracle was not breathing.

Just as her brother began to realize the same, awful truth.

Ravus rushed forward, violently pushing Ignis to the side. His face screwed up in twitches of anger as despair rippled across his lips and down to the metal of his arm. He crashed to his knees, scooping his sister into his arms, touching her forehead with his own.

Ignis rose, his chest caving inwards as his mouth slackened. He hadn't realized.. he didn't think.. he had only looked to ensure Noctis was safe.

Now, he could only watch, as his mind reeled and words failed him completely.

"She didn't deserve this," Ravus whispered, leaning back to look at her. His gaze softened as he beheld her; the milk and honey of her complexion, a sad smile a phantom on her pink lips. With calloused hands and a gentle touch, Ravus brushed stray strands of her hair away from her eyes. His thumb wiped away the smear of red blotched on her cheek. Now, the Oracle appeared asleep; forever slumbering in between the planes of sorrow and peace.

"I just wanted you to be _happy_ ," he told her, his face trembling violently. Silver lined his pale eyes, but he blinked them away, forbidding them the justice of falling. "That one day I might one day see you truly happy. Your burdens lifted, free to live and love as you please. This life — you deserved more than what this life dealt you. But _you_.. you rose to your calling, no matter what it had in store for you."

Ignis moved, silent, as his steps carried him off to the side. His eyes flickering between both Ravus and the unconscious Noctis. Refusing to look at her, he gaped down at his hands because for once, he did not know what to say.

"Even in Death, the Oracle will not rest until darkness is forever dispelled from our star. And as in life," he said to the crashing of waves, a finger tracing her jaw, "she will do so with a smile on her face, until at last her calling is fulfilled." Ignis's gaze snapped up, his breathing shallow as he dared steal a glance at the man beside him and the woman in his arms.

The sun fell below the horizon then, robbing their world of light.

One, shimmering tear fell from beneath closed lids, landing on the smooth curve of her cheek. The careful walls he had built shattered, his voice barely a whisper as Ravus said: "You would have made a beautiful bride.." just as her body vanished into soft gold dust. He outstretched his hands, desperate, grasping nothing but air. Not even a fragment of her soul remained; for no matter how he tried, she would not stay.

A gasp loosed from Ignis's lips, emerald orbs wide and disbelieving. Lunafreya was before them, hovering a breath above the waves as night spilled across the sky. Her ghost a floating afterglow of the woman she had once been, a sad-sweet smile curving her soft lips. Unblinking, a shadow, a golden mirror image of her.. but still, just as ethereal and beautiful. The moonlight of her skin, the blue fires of her eyes, and the honey of her hair. Just as divine as the gods she so bravely communed with. Crystalline sylleblossoms danced on the sea breeze, much like the winds of home. Of Tenebrae.

She was a true Oracle — in blood, in heart, in soul.

Ignis almost swore that Lunafreya's smile grew, in the span of a breath, before she faded completely. The dust left in her wake a rival to the stars yawning awake around them in glimmers of silver against a backdrop of ink.

" _No_.. Sister! Please.. don't go," Ravus begged, "please don't leave me."

The sob that ripped from his throat could have cleaved worlds; instead, his cries raged, as Ravus screamed into the blackness of gathering night and ocean waves. His muscles rippled as heat smoldered deep in his core, ravaging him, boiling his blood until anger spilled over. One hand firmly grasping the hilt of his sword..

"First, the Lucians stole from me my mother.." he ground out, jaw tightening, his hand unsheathing his sword, "and now they make a sacrifice of my sister!"

A heartbeat and Ravus brought down the sharp blade, pointed at Noctis's chest. Only a second had passed, as Ignis summoned his daggers and ducked; the metal of each blade screaming at the impact as he blocked the onslaught. His arms strained against the weight of Ravus's mechanical arm; searching the depths of the man's eyes for a shred of reason.

"W-What are you doing?" Ignis breathed. Every chorded muscle pushing Ravus back.

The man before him was blind; unseeing anything but what he wanted to see. "What I should have done a long time ago.. ridding us of this _menace_!"

Ignis heaved, Ravus stumbling backwards. They tumbled down the stairs, weapons clanging against broken stones. His body shook at the impact, but still he rose. Just as Ravus moved to pass him, Ignis cried out, throwing his entire weight into the man's stomach. Ravus caught him, tossing him backwards. Oxygen flew out his lungs, the air knocked out of him. Still his rose; albeit on trembling legs, straining for breath.

Again, he rushed at him; and again, Ravus threw him aside.

Once more, Ignis stood. Slower, unsteady, but unwavering.

Ravus — the White Wolf, the High Commander of Niflheim's army — rose his sword, and Ignis met him. The spell-daggers in his palms summoned in glimmers of crystal magic, singing metal on metal. Thunder roared as lightning showered down with each contact of sword against dagger, dagger against sword. He cried out with each clash, twisting, knocking his opponent in the back of his knees with one kick at the sensitive flesh there. Ignis groaned at the impact as Ravus fell forward, catching himself and meeting him with no signs of faltering. Sweat stuck to his brow as Ignis rose to catch his breath. His lungs ignited, exhausted; burning, craving for air. Ignis held steadfast, Ravus flying forward in a roar of anger. He nearly missed as his spell-dagger screamed, ice coating the smooth steel. Frost spreading with each war cry that ripped from his throat. Ignis's breath was coated in flurries of snow, mixed with the spray of the wild sea surrounding them.

He slipped, stumbling backwards, creating an unwanted opening. Ravus took it; his blade swinging down in a rush of lightning electrifying the frost shimmering along the stones at their feet. His weight shifted dangerously, as his upper body hanged off the edge of the altar's platform. Without his daggers, Ignis held up his hands in attempt to block his face. He barely grasped the commander's forearm. The sea churned below, threatening to swallow him whole.

"I und-understand the pain y-you must be feeling," he bit out between his teeth, straining, searching Ravus's eyes, "but Noct isn't the one who did this to her!"

Ravus broke Ignis's guard, falling forward. He lost his grip on his great-sword, as it clattered a few feet away. He barely caught himself with his mechanical arm, using the other to launch his weight into a punch aimed at Ignis's temple. "Oh, yes, he is!"

Stars burst before his eyes; pin-pricks of white that blurred the edges of his sight. Warmth trickled down his face, sticky and thick, as he blinked madly to clear the mottles adhering his vision useless. His limbs were heavy, refusing to fall. Noctis wasn't safe.. not yet..

Ignis _raged_ , throwing his legs upwards and kicking back against Ravus's chest. The momentum carried him, kneeling, swaying. He watched as the Commander carefully stood, his eyes flaring brightest flames in the night. He, too, would soon fall into the stupor of pure exhaustion.

He would not stop; no matter if his bones snapped and his heart failed him altogether. Not until he _knew_ — not until he could ensure that Noctis was _safe_.

That was the only he wanted; the only thing that mattered. He had promised, after all.

_Always. Always. Always._

Ignis rushed forward, taking advantage of Ravus's hesitation as he caught his breath. The blood in his face rushing, flooding him in heat; the muscles of his legs, his arms, his hands, his mouth shaking. Trembling, uncontrollable, pure anger. White hot and blistering.

"Ravus, _please_ , listen to me!" Ignis pleaded, his fists balled around the fine leather of his jacket, forcing Ravus to look at him. "I am not your enemy. _Noctis_ is not your enemy."

The Commander's face screwed up, ugly and grimacing. He smacked away Ignis's grip, shrugging him off and walking away as he sheathed his sword, shaking his head. Ignis whirled, his gaze slackening as he slowly followed the other man. Back up the stone steps; his heart growing steadily heavier with each stair, knowing that now, Noctis would be the only one there.

Wary, he approached the man glad in silver, the tension in his muscles loosening. His mouth twitched, before his gaze fluttered down to his hands. Ignis's voice was smooth, soft as velvet, yet cautious as he told him: "Lady Lunafreya came to the aid of her King in his time of need." He sucked in a breath, his emerald stare blinking upwards, but still Ravus did not turn as he finished, "She fulfilled her calling."

Ravus only shook his head, the pale ivory strands of his hair almost glowing in the starlight. Still, he made no effort to move, refusing to look at him. "But she didn't have to _die_ ," he bit out, striding away.

Ignis watched as Ravus collapsed onto his knees on the far side of the Tidemother's altar, his gaze staring into the heavens. His body began to shake, as silent sobs ruined him, ripping him open from the inside out.

Ignis only glimpsed at him but for a moment — leaving him be — before coming to kneel next to Noctis. Relief washed over him in shivers, knowing that his prince was still alive. Yes.. he was still alive. His own hands were tightly balled at his sides, lips quivering, silver lining the bright green of his eyes.

He collapsed, coming to sit next at Noctis's side. A whirl of emotions roiled in his stomach, unwanted. His breath shook as he toyed with his glasses. Uncertain. Butterflies fluttered in his gut as the world swayed beneath him.

For how could possibly he tell him that she was gone? And the fate that he was to bear?

_________________

Patiently, they waited. The night growing steadily darker, as the shadows lengthened and stole what little light had been borne from the stars above. For with the deepening night, clouds rolled in, bruised and angry. The threat of rain on the cusp of the horizon where the sea ended and the sky began.

He had lost track of the time, listening to the lapping of waves beating against the altar's stones. Together, they were in near silence, listening to the symphony around them.

Not once did he leave Noctis's side. Not again, not ever.

A chill had settled deep into his bones as he knelt next to his prince. Exhaustion weighing him down, pulling him to the center of their star. But Ignis could not rest, not yet, until they had gained safe passage, and he was sure that Noctis would be alright. 

Rain drops slowly began to dribble, like tears falling from the sky. Ignis tilted his gaze, as the drops kissed his skin like promises of frost. Biting and cold as ice.

The voice that cut through the gloom was anything but.

"Iggy!" 

His head snapped up at the familiar timbre of the voice; the husk near unmistakable. 

They had been found at last.

"Gladio! You're alive," Ignis sighed, a weight lifted from his shoulders. "Are you alright? Where's Prompto?"

However, his comrade's gaze did not meet his own; instead, the brute soldier moved around him like he was nothing, a smirk plastered on his face. Gladiolus only had eyes for the fallen Ravus, his head tilting sidelong as he approached the man glad in silver and steel. 

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Gladiolus drawled. All at once, his broadsword materialized into his hands, swinging from midair and coming down onto the man on his knees. Ravus matched him, turning within a breath; his sword crying against the clash of metal on metal. He stood, pushing Gladiolus' arm sideways, his free arm reaching to grip Gladiolus's jacket with a firm fist. 

Ignis rushed forward, a gasp caught in his throat. "Ravus!"

The Commander's blade shrieked, circling and freeing from the pressure of the Shield's broadsword. " _You_ ," he seethed, his eyes molten pools of sapphire and amethyst, " _Ardyn._ "

A smile curled one side of his comrade's lips, corrupt and unfamiliar. "Oh, dear," Gladiolus pouted, "was I that transparent?"

As his broadsword vanished in a hush of magic, Gladiolus's hand reached up towards his face. His hand grasped a brimmed hat that had not been there seconds before, revealing his true identity — just as a hoard of Magitek soldiers swarmed from behind him. The man before him had not been his comrade, his friend, his brother. 

But no one other than Ardyn Izunia, Chancellor of Niflheim.

Ignis moved, twisting to put his body in between the chancellor and Noctis, but his legs gave underneath him. A Magitek soldier kicked him in the soft spot behind in his knees, his entire body crashing onto the stones. A cry ripped from him; his blood broiling with a rage that set a fire in his gut. Primal. Unchecked.

He writhed under the hold of the inhuman soldiers at his back, a strong, mechanical hand forcing his face onto the cold stones, whilst another twisted one of his arms behind him. A knee pressed into his spine, hard and unforgiving, as multiple rifles were aimed at his head. 

Ravus snarled — true to his name as the White Wolf — as the Imperial soldiers seized him.

The gemstones of Ignis's eyes smoldered like flickering flames, simmering as they pinned onto Ardyn with an unmatched hyper focus. His mouth hardening into a thin line, before the skin of his lips pulled back into a snarl.

Astrals above, if Ardyn hurt a hair on the prince's head.. No. He wouldn't allow it.

Ignis strained against the hold of the soldiers holding him down, as the chancellor strolled up to him, calm and collected. A muscle twitched above Ardyn's lips as he smirked, his head tilted sidelong. Noting every inch of anger as Ignis fought. 

Ardyn chuckled, amused. "The game's up, my boy," he told him, right before his boot connected with Ignis's temple. His world churned into shadow and stars that burst behind his closed eyes. Ignis struggled, blinking madly, his spectacles shattered. He groaned, spots of color blurring in his field of view.

When the stars cleared, Ardyn was crouched at his side, pouting, with a knife brandished in his palm. His voice was as soft as velvet as he asked, "Come now, why not follow your liege and stop resisting?" He drew out the last word as if savoring the feel of it on his tongue.

Ignis thrashed under the pressure of his captors. He hissed, "Never!"

His eyes never left the blade in Ardyn's hands as the chancellor stood, stalking over to the unconscious prince. Ardyn only tapped the edge of the dagger against his gloved palm, marveling at Noctis's face. "How does it feel to risk life and limb for the King of Kings, only to witness him fail so spectacularly?" he purred, "You must be _so_ disappointed."

The chancellor dropped, crouching, his amber eyes meeting Ignis's before he turned. Looking at Noctis, the sharp blade glistening in the light rain and embers of the ruined city around them. "I know I am," the chancellor declared.

His heart nearly stopped as Ardyn slowly traced the edge of the blade along the curves of Noctis's jaw.

" _Unhand_ him," he growled, a caged wolf beneath the grip of the iron soldiers at his back.

" _Oh_ ," Ardyn crooned, his attention entirely on the prince, "why not end it all here?"

Ignis could only watch — in agonizingly slow motion — as the chancellor twisted the blade in his grip, now directly pointed at Noctis's heart. His muscles tensed, coiling tightly, his mouth suddenly dry. "No.. you _can't_ ," he rasped, his heart thundering in his ears with each inch as the blade rushed downwards, swift and brutal—

A sword flew, the metal singing as it whipped into Ardyn's blade, before striking the stones of the altar.

Ravus heaved, standing, the soldiers at his sides trained onto him. 

"My, you two certainly have become fast friends," Ardyn chuckled.

The chancellor rose, rolling Noctis over onto his stomach. The prince's hand now reaching out towards Ignis; a ring tumbling forward between them. 

Ardyn stalked towards Ravus, seething, his eyes molten pools of gold. Wielded in his hand were flashes of violet and ebony. A starless night sky bound into flame; darkness made tangible. "You're going to wish you hadn't intervened," he stated, as his hand connected with Ravus's abdomen. 

The subtle touch launched him backwards in a surge of shadows and raw power; the altar crumbling beneath his feet from the assault. Ravus landed in a heap several meters away, his body unmoving.

Ignis inhaled, his eyes on the ring, on Noctis, on Ravus, and then on Ardyn, as the man slowly twisted to look at him. The flames of his magic danced in his hands as he pursed his lips. "Hmm, allow me to make a suggestion. Instead of following your precious prince and drowning in a watery grave," Ardyn mused, "why not come with me?" Each word was slow and deliberate, like a dagger sinking deeper into his chest. 

He gasped, robbed of breath. His eyes fluttered madly between Ardyn and Noctis. The idea was absurd.. he would never.. _but_.. if it would mean Noctis would be _safe_..

A whisper of memory tugged.

_Will you stand with him?_

"What do you say?" Ardyn asked, his lips curled into a depraved smile, as if he already knew the advisor's answer. The chancellor reached out his hand towards Ignis, expectant.

His decision was a welcome weight on his shoulders; a burden taken from his prince. He tightened his jaw, groaning as he reached forward with his free hand. In a smooth movement, Ignis smacked away the hold of Magitek soldiers, freeing from their grasp. Slowly, he stood, the promise he made so many years ago a mantra as Ignis rose his hand, revealing what laid hidden there in his now open palm.

Ardyn's face flickered with recognition, with shock.. before he softened, bemused.

"I swore an oath to stand with Noct and keep him safe," Ignis breathed, his heartbeat rising faster and faster and faster with each word that passed his lips. "Whatever it takes, I _will_ protect him!"

His determination would come to be his downfall.

A breath, and the Ring of the Lucii was on his finger. His racing heart speeding into a crescendo as his soul exploded into light and flame. 

"Ah ah ahh, I wouldn't have done that if I were you," a distant voice chided, laughter rumbling in their throat.

He did not feel the scream that ripped from him, nor the blue-violet fires that glimmered along his skin, eating him alive. Instead, Ignis could only watch, as his true body slowly crumpled forward with the untold power that burned through him from the inside out. 

Behind him, a hand clasped onto his shoulder. Familiar and ghostly and incredibly real.

Ignis whirled, his eyes torn from watching his true self, as his gaze landed on a face he never thought he would ever see again.

"You did well, Ignis Scientia," King Regis told him, a smile gracing his lips. 

His hands shook, as Ignis peered down at the Ring adorning his hand, and the wild flames that danced across his skin. He was burning in slow motion; his gaze faltering between his hand, his true body, and the late Lucian king. Instinct took over, however, as his spirit body stepped sideways, before leaning into a bow. One fist covering his heart. 

Ever dutiful, even as the king's soul no longer remained in the mortal plane.

As he straightened, Ignis ignored the form of his true body, silently screaming, and the pain etched into its — _his_ — face. A pain that he had yet to truly feel. Delaying the inevitable. Instead, he focused onto King Regis, noting the sheer impossibility of it all.

Yet, he could not help but feel a small smile brush his lips. 

"Your Majesty," he breathed, "how are you—?"

"Here?" King Regis finished, his face softening. His eyes darted, landing on the true Ignis, the ring flaring brightest blue. The lush green of his orbs focusing, blinking, as they landed on Noctis's face. "The souls of every Lucian king are bound within the ring, to serve at the calling of the Chosen." 

A low chuckle rumbled in his throat; the weight of such a sound speaking volumes without words.

King Regis stepped around him, his gaze flickering between the real Ignis, and his son. Watching, in agonizingly slow motion, as the advisor's body was engulfed in light and flame. His gaze blinked towards the prince, drowning in the slumber of pure exhaustion. Emotions flashed across his face, his eyes; so many things unsaid, and yet spoken with haste.

"We don't have much time."

He breathed in slowly, watching, waiting, as King Regis grabbed him by the shoulders. Their eyes meeting; matching gazes, sharp and bright as earth in spring. One hand rose to clasp the side of Ignis's face, before coming to rest on his shoulder once more. Ignis's muscles trembled, violent, uncontrollable. A magnetic pull tugging deep in his gut, like a silver cord, binding him from one form to another.

The king's grip tightened, holding Ignis where he stood, as phantom guardians glittered in blue light around them. Rising from the wake of power as the Ring of the Lucii steadily burned on his finger. Heat began to kindle in the center of his chest, right where his heart laid in the bone cage of his ribs.

"Ignis, listen to me. Listen closely," King Regis beckoned, commanding. "There is a price to be paid for beseeching the kings when you are not of royal blood. Do you understand?"

The king's eyes searched him, but his answer was laid bare. Ignis nodded. "I made an oath, Your Majesty."

The side of the king's lips curled at the memory. He knew.. _of course_ he knew. 

"Then the contract has been forged," King Regis decided, releasing him. Stepping back, out of reach. The phantom, ancient kings rising still, their royal arms brandished and glimmering in crystalline light.

"Wait!" 

Ignis reached out, oxygen hitching in his lungs. Reality slowly pulling his spirit, his soul, right where it belonged. His true body almost entirely crumpled onto the stones of the altar. The bare skin of his left arm was smoldering, ash-ridden and licked in fire.

"Can I save him?" Ignis asked, tentative but desperate. His lips trembled. "Can I save Noctis from his fate?"

The corners of King Regis's lips curled, sad but sweet. _Knowing_. He dipped his crown, a bow, a show of respect, as his eyes blinked up to meet Ignis's own. A single, silver tear suddenly freed, falling from his eyes as he looked at Ignis. The sorrow etched in his face told him everything and nothing all at once. His late sovereign could only shake his head. 

Ignis's heart cracked under the weight of realization. _No_. He would not allow it. 

Everything he was, everything he had come to be, was wrapped and bound in the promise he had made so many years ago. King Regis knew. Noctis knew. Astrals be damned.. he refused to believe the truth that settled onto him like wrought-iron chains. Unforgiving and without remorse.

A chilling voice trailed at the edges of his memory. Haunting and sending shivers running down the length of his spine.

_The King of Kings shall be granted the power to banish the darkness, but the blood price must be paid._

Ignis's eyes widened, his soul nearly melded back into his true body. But not before he realized, "The Kings of Old.. you'll help him.. in the end." A statement, not a question. 

King Regis nodded, only once. His answer heavier than the world sitting on Noctis's shoulders as he said, "Yes."

With a shaking breath, he whispered, "No.. _I won't let you take him away._ "

Just as his world rioted in light and flame and ancient power that scorched him. Cleaving him open, from the center of his ribs, the power of Lucians past tore him. Ripping his muscles, his skin, as the fires burned and burned and burned. The blood in his veins boiling, his heart thundering too fast, his lungs fighting for air as he choked on ash.

He could have sworn, through the cries that ravaged his throat, that he could hear King Regis's voice, one last time.

_We stand with you, my son._

The ring's power broke him, but he would be remade, reinforced. Like a mortal drinking the ambrosia of gods, Ignis screamed. Over and over again, while a distant man laughed at his mistake. Through the fires, he reached out to Noctis, his hands barely — just barely — brushing his hand. He crippled over, struggling, as the souls of the kings began to lend him their strength. The skin around his eyes smoldered, white hot, as his vision burned away like parchment to candle flame. Ignis's breath shuddered, gasping for an ounce of solace.

He was engulfed in blue-violet flames, doubling over, his fingers clawing at his eyes. The skin there shining, fiery, as his orbs burned. For no longer were they emeralds, rival to precious stones.

But beacons of fire that scorned, pinning Ardyn where he stood with only a narrowed glance as he rose, standing tall.

With his body melded, skin licked in holy heavensfire, Ignis _roared_. Ardyn's gaze slackened, eyebrows raised. Sighing, the chancellor tilted his head, cracking his neck. His cheeks twitched with a wickedness wrought from darkness eternal. As Ignis inhaled, his body blinked, and then he was on the lower platform of the altar. Unchecked power coursed through his veins, lacing his blood in light and borrowed strength. Ignis slowly straightened, the hand adorned with the Ring curling into a fist. His muscles tightened, eyes narrowing into slits, sharper than the daggers that materialized into his palms.

Ardyn's mouth curved, the edges of his body glowing indigo. "Well," he drawled, long and slow, as he warped in a heartbeat. Close enough to share breath, he towered over Ignis, but still the advisor did not bow. "It seems they've shown you their favor after all."

The chancellor struck out at him in a shock wave of hellfire, sudden and without abandon. Ignis brought up his forearms out of instinct alone; a wall of blue flame deflecting the blow. His fists curled around the twin hilts of his spell-daggers. All white knuckles and crackling lightning as he took in the Imperial Magitek soldiers that circled them. One by one; each readying their automatic rifles, aimed at his chest. 

Ignis inhaled slowly, delicately, as the ring flashed in brilliant blue. His lips hardened. The precious air in his lungs was set aflame.

Ardyn tilted his head back and laughed; a sound that roiled in shadow and breathed decay and rot. The grin that pulled at his lips was lethal as the chancellor raised a hand to Ignis, before swooping into a deep bow.

"You're a determined one, I'll give you that." He chuckled. "Shall we?"

Something cracked in Ignis's chest as he surged forward in a rush of storm and rage. He roared as his daggers met Ardyn's sword, shatters of lightning falling all around them. Electricity sizzled along his skin, seething. His eyes boring into the mocking amber of Ardyn's. Strength wafted up and down his veins, a lull of power befitting of ancient kings. The flames of such power forced the chancellor to slide along the stones of the altar, the ground crumbling into stardust at their feet.

The metal of their weapons sang, shrill and harsh. Ardyn leaned forward, whining, "And _you're_ supposed to be one of the boy's protectors? Such a waste."

Bullets fired, straight and true, Ignis's left arm giving under the sharp impact. He screamed, his hold on Ardyn broken. His lips quivered, uncontrolled, the muscles of his arms shaking violently. 

He didn't think, he only reacted. The daggers in his hands whispered in winter, as he launched himself into the fray of Magitek soldiers. The iron of their suits were ripped clean as he slashed, ice kissing the metal and coating the uneven platform in a layer of glistening frost. His breath was puffs of white that shone in the of flames that cocooned him.

One after the other, Ignis vaulted the soldiers, twisting past them and flaying them wide and open; all cords and wires that burst into short-circuits of red light. Bullets grazed him, like scratches that barely registered. His fists connected with their iron masks; his spell-daggers shredding metal; his anger a beast that he could not possibly tame.

His beloved promise was a war cry that rattled in his skull.

Finally, Ignis stood still, catching his breath. The skin of his arms prickled, like embers in a fire. Much like his heart, that burned brighter than any sun. A force to be reckoned with; a giant that could render planets into meteors.

At his feet laid the bodies of the Magitek, piled high as he stood at their center. A grave master of mechanical death.

The Ring of the Lucii began to throb.

"Your attempts to keep him safe will prove futile in the end," the chancellor bated.

Ignis glared at Ardyn, his gaze a strike of flame. The orbs of Ignis's eyes were amethyst fires; wretched and beautiful and smoldering. His voice was a man made god. Chaos riddled in a once-sweet man. "No.. _you're wrong._ "

His wrist cracked as he summoned his lance in a blink. Ignis exploded skywards, the ground beneath him splintering, before he launched himself downwards like a falling star. Ethereal and furious. 

Ardyn matched him, toying with the advisor as he impacted. His sword slashed him, cleaved him, but still Ignis did not waver. Heavensfire was born in his palms like volcanic fireballs, slamming into Ardyn's sides, his arms, his neck—

But he was too strong, swapping Ignis aside with no more than a well placed kick. His boot hammered into his ribs, the fragile bones fracturing as the advisor was flung backwards. The air was sucked out of him as his back was blasted onto a broken chunk of the altar. 

He could feel the power of the ring fading away.

Ignis heaved, coughing, blood dribbling on his lips. Struggling, he shifted, holding his side as he stared at Ardyn. The hand adorned with the ring opened, a spell-dagger materializing into his grip. His fingers were loose around the worn hilt. 

He ignored the shadows that flirted with the edges of his vision, and the metal band that burned on his finger. Steadily the darkness began to grow. The blue-violet flames dwindling, his limbs heavy.

"I think that's enough for now, don't you?" Ardyn cooed, fine as silk.

Ignis sucked in a breath, crying out as pain seared in his sides. The world tilted under his feet, spinning and spinning and gaining speed.

"I will not.. rest.. until—" he choked, wincing, one foot stepping forward. 

An airship whirred, deafening and swirling the ocean in angry waves. Ignis shielded his face as salt water whipped at him in piercing droplets, like tiny glass shards. The airship hissed as the loading door dropped open.

 _No_.. he wasn't finished with him yet.

The darkness slithered, eating away his eyes. Desperately, Ignis blinked, stumbling towards Ardyn as the chancellor stepped into the loading dock. He outstretched his hands. Ink spilled across his eyes, the power of kings leaving him. The blood in his veins slowed.

He ambled sideways, nearly crawling up the stairs to Noctis as the airship hovered.

For now, the threat of darkness overwhelmed him. The thought of never seeing him again unbearable.

He was falling.

Collapsed, he bit his cry, the shadows no longer tendrils, but wisps that stole away the light.

He could not see; he was drowning drowning _drowning_ —

Ignis burned to see Noctis.. one more time.

" _Noct_.."

"Be still," a voice told him in the darkness. _Ravus_. "Conserve your strength.. you've a calling to fulfill."

Ignis ignored him, instead groaning as he struggled to roll to his side. A hand pressed on his shoulder, forcing him still as he gasped through a surge of pain. The metal band of the ring smoldered, white hot even through the shadows as it slipped off of his finger at last. Ignis still fought.. his entire being burned. Not for himself, not for his well-being.. but for _Noctis_.

He coughed, his lungs sandpaper and filled with ash. "Noct.. where.. is he? Is he.. alright?"

A hushed intake of breath, then an answer weighed on heavy shoulders. "More or less.. all thanks to you."

His promise was not broken — not yet.

The world began fade away; a whispering of shadows that enveloped him in never-ending night, as unconsciousness slowly lulled him into slumber. Not even the stars shimmered down upon him in silent, blinking tears. 

Ignis could almost swear that he heard his name, a distant call that resonated and bounced in his skull. He tried to muster his voice, but his throat had gone dry; unable to produce even a gasp. Words were stuck like glue on his lips, unspoken.

He was alone, in a cold, lightless place. Fingers barely grazing his neck, his chest, as touch became utterly lost to him entirely. Focusing on one word, one shining ribbon that he held on to with a desperate grasp. His promise was a far away dream, a far away oath. Tangled in a depthless gloom.

One promise that was forever tattooed on his soul.

_Always._

And then the darkness dragged him under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW. That one was a doozie. When I originally played through the canon ending of Episode Ignis, I was _floored_. My heart was a mess, but I definitely knew it was missing a few things for me. One of them being the "out of body' experience with putting on the Ring. TBH I was really shocked they didn't show something like it.. they could've played so. many. FEELINGS. ;_;
> 
> Anywho.. this chapter depicts all of my emotions, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Four more chapters to go! ♡
> 
> P.S. please excuse the fact that I suck at writing battle scenes -flails- I'm trying to get better.
> 
>  **Chapter Music:** I listened to the cover 'Say You Won't Let Go' by Kurt Schneider, Joshua David Evans, and Madilyn Bailey, as well as 'I'll Find You' by Lecrae and Tori Kelly. Those are the main two on repeat, plus many others ^u^


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